Is Gamestop Evil? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

[CRTGAMER]

Electronics Boutique was the shit. Isn't that what eventually (d)evolved into GameStop?

I will always remember them for being the only chain I can remember carrying used PC games.

I think Gamestop carried used PC games and movies in the past. In honesty I did not care too much for EB either. Gamestop is bad on too many price stickers, but EB had a policy of slapping a clear plastic round sticker sealing the case of any used game sold. It was the worst to remove since a chemical could not soak into the sticker plastic. I battled with an employee not to put that hard to remove sticker on the case. He threatened that the game could not be returned even if defective. I asked how is one to know a game is defective without breaking the seal, a kind of pointless sticker.

Yeah, those pricks took all the remaining Xenoblade copies and changed the SKU from new to used, so they could up the price. I assume as long as they remain "new", they can't change the MSRP.

That is shady as hell.

Overall most of the new games changed to used went down in price. Not sure if Gamestop purposely did that for Xeonoblade due to the price, most new to used changes are done on product that cannot be restocked or where there is an excess amount on hand. It does seem shady, but if I was a retailer, would do the same in matching the current market prices. Say, was Xeonoblade only sold thru Gamestop?

[Fragems]

Overall most of the new games changed to used went down in price. Not sure if Gamestop purposely did that for Xeonoblade due to the price, most new to used changes are done on product that cannot be restocked or where there is an excess amount on hand. It does seem shady, but if I was a retailer, would do the same in matching the current market prices. Say, was Xeonoblade only sold thru Gamestop?

Thing I find especially fishy about all of this is you could not find a new or used copy of Xenoblade in my area for 100 miles . Now suddenly it is available used at every store in the area as well as online .

Found this interesting was looking into the "vintage games" that gamestop had and stumbled across this. I knew they were planning on selling old games but I didn't know they were already doing some sales through the powerups reward page. Anyone had any experience with this. Nothings for sale right now so I am wondering how their prices compare to the general market.

https://www.gamestop.com/poweruprewards ... ogamevault

[oxymoron]

I'm wasn't going to be renewing my Power Up membership so I spent the points I had left in my account. Anyways, with the package they sent this ticker and I feel like it's such a great representation of Gamestop. A dumb and monstrously big chain company knocking any and all competition (blimps) out of its way.

[Sasha_Blue]

Overall most of the new games changed to used went down in price. Not sure if Gamestop purposely did that for Xeonoblade due to the price, most new to used changes are done on product that cannot be restocked or where there is an excess amount on hand. It does seem shady, but if I was a retailer, would do the same in matching the current market prices. Say, was Xeonoblade only sold thru Gamestop?

Thing I find especially fishy about all of this is you could not find a new or used copy of Xenoblade in my area for 100 miles . Now suddenly it is available used at every store in the area as well as online .

I hate gamestop for producing more copies. One for selling them at an absurd price for a used copy and two for devaluing my copy by half.

[artphotodude]

I cannot agree with this. I have had some of my best game purchases made through GS and its employees that by-in-large really do care about gaming - and make GOOD recommendations. They have headed me off (loosing a sale here and there) to prevent me from buying crap, and even after Game Crazy went under, kept a great rewards program. Best of all, I get to try a used game and if it is crap, return it in a week. I really like these guys.
If they are making money it is because they are "FILLING A DEMAND" that others are not. The supply-side economic model of Telling US What We Should Want is falling apart - just ask Microsoft's XBox One division!

As for what they are doing to developers, the dev's biggest problem is not GS or even used games in general. It is publishing with big parasitic companies (like Capcom, Konami, Nintendo, Etc, Etc, Etc) that skim way too much off the top. Also, so-called "investor activists (Bean Counting Carpet-Baggers)" who know nothing about games accept that there is money to be made and prevent good ideas from coming to light in favor of quick, quarterly profits. Basically, it is the same thing happening in movies, books, computer software/hardware, government, law-enforcement and pretty much everything in life - a few Rich JERKS are dominating every new idea and squeezing creative and talented people to death.

I honestly think that this phase of human history will be known as the "Rise of the Middle-Men".

Sometimes I think we need a virus floating around preventing their births in the fist place. ;0p

[SNKnicotine]

Ive also seen an explosion of Metroid prime Trilogys, except there more expensive.
When I bought mine 3 weeks ago they were going for $67.00(w/powerup) now they're retailing $84.99.

[Luke]

I cannot agree with this.

^I like this guy.

Some Game Stops have great employees, some don't. When you run a global franchise having a few rotten eggs is inevitable.

[TheGregzilla]

For the question above about the prices on the retro games through the rewards program, they are outright ridiculous. I remember doing the math when they had them in stock, and I wanna say it ends up costing you close to 100 dollars worth of points for one not-so-rare retro game.


I don't really like Gamestop. The trade in values are absolutely unfair. I could understand the low values if you are trading games for cash, but the store credit they give isn't much better. If your game didn't come out within the last month, or isn't some uber rare game you get next to nothing literally. Me and a friend each bought the Sony Pulse Elite headsets- they retail at around 150 dollars- He kept his in pristine condition, barely used, less than a year old, and gamestop gave him....8 dollars IN CREDIT. Thats outright thievery. He took the credit because he didn't feel like finding a buyer himself, but thats a shame to pay all that money for the convenience of a guaranteed buyer.


I just find it annoying that you have to trade in 4-5 games sometimes to get one game from them of equal value to each of the 5 you traded in.

[AppleQueso]

Me and a friend each bought the Sony Pulse Elite headsets- they retail at around 150 dollars- He kept his in pristine condition, barely used, less than a year old, and gamestop gave him....8 dollars IN CREDIT. Thats outright thievery. He took the credit because he didn't feel like finding a buyer himself, but thats a shame to pay all that money for the convenience of a guaranteed buyer.

Gamestop's trade-in prices may be crappy, but this is all on your friend for taking such a low offer when you both knew it was worth way more.

[Hobie-wan]

I hate gamestop for producing more copies. One for selling them at an absurd price for a used copy and two for devaluing my copy by half.

$90 is not half of $100 and change.

Gamestop's trade-in prices may be crappy, but this is all on your friend for taking such a low offer when you both knew it was worth way more.

No kidding. If your friend wouldn't go through the effort to sell for more money, then I really have no sympathy. Surely another friend gamer or random Craigslist person would have given at least $20 with little effort. If it was decent hardware, I'd imagine even $50 would have been a quick sale.